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W436a 


WEISSE 

V       ABSTRACT  OF  A  NEW 

METHOD  TO  ANALYZE  THE 
ENGLISH  LANGUAGE 
AND  LITERATURE 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ABSTRACT 

OF    A 

NEW  METHOD 

TO 

Analyze 

CIjc  ^nglislj  language  an^  Jitcrature. 

EMGLISH, 

THE   YOUNGEST,    MOST    ELASTIC,    AND   GRAMMATICALLY    THE   SIMPLEST 
LANGUAGE.      ITS    OllIGIN    AND   PROGRESS    PHILOLOGICALLY,    HIS- 
TORICALLY, AND  NUMERICALLY  PROVED.      ITS   INFLUENCE 
AND    IMPORTANCE   AS   A   MEANS   OF   CIVILIZATION. 
ITS   EXTENT    AND    DESTINY. 

(BY 
John  A.   Wcisse,  M.(D. 


"Language  is  an  art,  and  a  glorious  one,  whose  influence  extends  over 
11  others,  and  in  which  all  science  whatever  must  centre;  but  an  art  spring- 
ng  from  necessity,  and  originally  invented  by  artless  men." 

UoKNE  Tooke's  '■'■  Dinenions  of  Parlei).''^     Vol.  I.  p.  317.  L.  E. 


NEW-YORK: 

PRINTED  HY  II.  LUDWIO,  SO  CENTRE-STREET. 

1873. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

By  John  A.  Weisse.  M  D., 
In  the  Office  of  the   Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


?E 


CHAPTER  I. 

Tnti^oductoi^y. 

Epitome  of  the  Progress  of  the  English  Language ;  its  Ad- 
vantages over  other  Tongues;  its  Drawbacks. 

'  In  Sharon  Turner's  "History  of  tlie  Anglo-Saxons,"  we 
read:  "To  explore  the  history  of  any  language  is  a  task 
peculiarly  difficult  at  this  period  of  the  world,  in  which  we  are 
so  remote  from  the  era  of  its  construction.  We  have  as  yet 
witnessed  no  people  in  the  act  of  forming  their  language,  and 
cannot  therefore  from  experience  demonstrate  the  simple 
elements,  from  which  a  language  begins,  nor  the  additional 
organization,  which  it  gradually  receives. " 

We  assent  to  this  statement,  when  applied  to  any  of  the 
ancient  idioms,  as:  Aryan,  Sanscrit,  Chaldee,  Zend,  Hebrew, 
Arabic,  Phoenician,  Coptic,  Etruscan,  Celtic,  Basque,  Greek, 
Latin,  Gothic,  German,  Sclavonic,  tfec.  ;  but  English,  being 
the  latest  linguistic  oifspring,  we  shall  endeavor  to  show  its 
'•'•simple  elements^''''  and  to  trace"  the  additional  organiza- 
tion, v!\\\c\i  it  gradually  receives'''.  To  perform  this  '•'•task 
2>eeuliarly  difficult  at  this  period  of  the  ti^orld,''''  we  ask 
and  answer  the  following  questions : 

I.  What  is    the    origin   of  the  English  language  from 

A.  D.  IGOO  to  our  times  \ 
II.  What  was  the  language  in  England  from  Ethelbert, 
King  of  Kent,  A.  I).  570,  to  Edward  the  Confessor, 
A.  D.  10-13,  and  William  the  Conqueror,  A.  D.  1060? 
III.  What  was  its  progress  from  William  the  Conqueror, 
A.  D.  1066,  to  A.  D.  1400,  when  Chaucer,  the  pioneer 
of  English  literature,  died? 
lY.  Wliat  was  its  progress  from  Chaucer,   A.  D.  1100,  to 
Shakespeare,  A.  D.  1600? 
Y.  What  is  its  present  extent,  importance,  and  influence 

as  a  means  of  civilization? 
YI.  AVhat  is  its  Destiny  ? 
To  answer  these  questions  we  select  Anglo-Saxon,  English 


1<illKiQl 


and  American  writers  of  different  styles  and  on  diiferent 
subjects,  take  extracts,  arrange  the  words  under  appropriate 
headings,  and  arrive  at  numeric  results.  Again  from  these 
tables  of  100  words  each  we  drop  repetitions,  choose  the 
difterent  nouns,  verbs,  adjectives,  adverbs  of  quality,  and 
particles,  place  them  in  separate  coluiims,  and  thus  reach 
idtimate  totals,  which  must  irrevocably  settle  the  origin  and 
progress  of  the  English  language.  Poetry,  prose,  the  pulpit, 
the  Forum,  the  university,  the  Press,  School-  and  lecture- 
room,  and  the  fireside  furnish  their  quota  to  this  analysis. 

We  are  convinced  there  are  thousands,  who  desire  satis- 
factory answers  to  the  above  questions,  language  being  a 
nation's  intellectual  and  moral  mirror.  To  those,  who  sin- 
cerely seek  knowledge,  we  present  tables  and  columns  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  and  English  words;  to  those,  who,  from  prejudice, 
ignorance,  or  want  of  proper  research,  parade  the  terms 
'■'■AtiffloSaxon,  Teutonic,  Norman,  or  Norman- French,  and 
think  they  have  exhausted  the  subject,  we  oiFer  linguistic 
transitions  with  percentages.  We  thought  long  and 
earnestly,  till  we  reached  this  new  Method  of  analyzing  the 
English  language  and  literature.  If  it  aifords  as  much  pleasure 
to  readers  as  it  did  to  the  author,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirty 
knew  not  a  word  of  English,  his  labor  of  thirty  years  will  be 
amply  rewarded.  He  oflFers  it  to  the  English-sjDeaking  popu- 
lations as  a  linguistic  monument  to  supply  an  educational 
want,  hoping  it  will  find  its  way  into  schools,  colleges  and 
universities. 

In  tliis  numeric  investigation  from  Ethelbert's  Anglo-Saxon 
Code,  A.  D.  597  to  Milton's  "Paradise  Lost"  1670,  we  found 
this  curious  linguistic  j^rogression : 
From  A.  D.  600  to  900  the  dialect  was  pure  Anglo-Saxon. 
"  900  to  1100  we  find  6  per-cent  Grseco-Latin. 


1100  "1200 

14 

liiOO  "  13U0 

16 

1300  "  1400 

33 

1400"  1500 

33 

1500"  1600 

32 

1600  "1670 

35 

1670  "  1870  Grseco-Latin   rose  to  62  per-cent 
^  in  some  authors. 


This  progressive  influx  of  words  from  a  different  and  more 
advanced  family  of  languages  and  dialects,  unconformable  to 
the  Anglo-Saxon  Grammar,  compelled  a  relinquishment  of  odd 
inflexions.  Aimless  and  arbitrary  declension,  conjugation 
and  construction  were  simplified,  shortened  and  generalized 
to  suit  from  6  to  62  new  comers.  Here  was  the  knell  of 
Anglo-Saxon  stagnation  and  the  dawn  of  English  progress. 
The  great  linguist,  Jacob  Grimm,  consoles  Anglo-Saxon 
enthusiasts  by  assuring  them,  that  modern  English  gained  in 
spiritual  maturity,  what  it  may  have  lost  in  Anglo-Saxon 
inflexions.  The  ultimate  result  of  om-  strict  analysis  shows 
over  two-thirds  of  Grseco-Latin,  and  less  than  one-third  of 
Anglo-Saxon  or  Gotho-Germanic.  After  all,  language  is  the 
truest  gauge  of  a  nation's  advancement. 

No  doubt,  Shakespeare  and  Milton  settled  the  character  of 
the  English  idiom  from  about  1600  to  1670.  From  our 
analysis  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  dialect  through  its  transition  into 
the  present  composite  English  language  we  infer,  that  Ethel- 
bert  of  A.  D.  60a  could  hardly  have  conversed  with  Ethelred 
IL,  A.  D.  1000 ;  that  Egbert  of  A.  D.  828  could  not  have 
easily  read  Chaucer's  ^''Canterbury  Tales'''  of  1380;  and 
should  Alfred  the  Great  suddenly  appear  at  queen  Victoria's 
Court  and  address  Her  Majesty  in  the  Anglo  Saxon  of  A.  D. 
900,  some  linguist  would  be  called  to  interpret  the  distin- 
guished Stranger's  idiom.  Hence  Sir  Charles  Lyell's  saying: 
"None  of  the  tongues  now  spoken,  were  in  existence  ten 
centuries  ago,"  is  literally  true. 

Tlie  changes  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  dialect  from  Ethelbert, 
A.  D.  597,  to  Chaucer  1370,  were  striking;  from  Chaucer,  1370, 
to  Shakespeare  1600,  they  were  less  so  ;  and  from  16u0  to  our 
day,  they  were  comparatively  slight,  as  may  be  realized  by 
our  tables,  Shakespeare,  with  his  varied  conceptions,  did  not 
burst  the  mould  of  England's  dialect;  for  some  admirer 
counted  the  words  in  his  writing.s  and  states  them  to  be  15,000 ; 
probably  Mrs.  Cowden  Clarke,  who  made  a  concordance  of 
Shakespeare's  works.  Milton  did  not  beggar  his  luxtive  tongue, 
for  he  only  employs  8,000.  The  translation  of  the  Scriptures, 
under  James  I.,  1611,  did  not  exhaust  it,  although  it  required 
773,746  words,  of  which  about  ^s/,,^  are  proper  names  and 
repetitions,   if  it  be  true,   that  the  insignificant  particle  and 


occurs  46,219  times.  No  donbt,  these  figures  were  talcea 
from  concordances.  It  is  said  few  good  authors  use  10,000 
words,  M-liile  ordinary  people  emplo}-  but  3000,  which  is  but 
a  fraction  of  the  S(\{)00  j)oj)  id  a  f,  sclent  ifie,  and  technical 
words,  mentioned  in  Noah  Webster's  preface  to  his  dictionary 
of  1840,  in  which  he  sajs :  "It  has  been  my  aim  in  this 
work  — to  furnish  a  standard  of  our  vernacular  tongue,  which 
M'e  shall  not  be  ashamed  to  bequeath  to  Jive  hundred  millions 
of  people,  who  are  destined  to  occupy,  and  hope  to  adorn, 
the  vast  territory  within  our  jurisdiction."  Since  then  Texas, 
California  and  Alaska  were  added.  Trench,  in  his  "Study  of 
Words,"  corroborates  the  superiority  of  language  over  authors 
in  this  felicitous  strain :  "Far  more  and  mightier  in  every 
way  is  a  language  than  any  one  of  the  works  which  may 
have  been  composed  in  it ;  for  that  work,  great  as  it  may  be, 
is  but  the  embodying  of  tlie  mind  of  a  single  man,  this  of  a 
nation.  The  Iliad  is  great,  yet  not  so  great  in  strength  or 
power  or  beauty  as  the  Greek  language.  ^^  Paradise  Losf^ 
is  a  noble  possession  for  a  people  to  have  inherited,  but  the 
English  tongue  is  a  nobler  heritage  yet." 

English,  now  the  easiest  language  as  to  grammar,  combin- 
ing the  elegance  of  the  Graeco-Latin  with  the  vigor  of  the  Go- 
tho-Germanic  tongues,  would  be  ready  for  universal  adoption, 
if  the  English-speaking  peoples  would  adopt  the  plain  phono- 
graphic German  rule :  ^Vrlte  as  you  pronounce,  and  pro- 
nounce as  you  write-;  in  other  words  :  write  the  same  letter 
or  letters  for  one  sound,  wherever  that  sound  is  required,  and 
utter  the  same  sound  for  the  same  letter  or  letters,  wherever 
you  find  the  letter  or  letters.  This  same  plain  phonographic 
German  rule  has  been  applied  over  two  thousand  years  to 
Greek  and  Latin,  not  only  by  the  nations  of  continental 
Europe,  but  of  Asia,  Africa,  and 'South  America.—  A  Greek  or 
Latin  scholar  of  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Spain,  Scandinavia, 
Eussia,  Siberia,  or  even  Turkey  can  converse  in  these  classic 
languages  with  a  scholar  of  Arabia,  Armenia,  Persia,  Tartary, 
Egypt,  ^lorocco,  Brazil,  Peruvia,  or  Mexico,  because  among 
all  those  heterogeneous  and  distant  nations  Greek  and  Latin 
are  vyrltten  as  they  are  pronounced  and  pronounced  as  they 
are  v)rltten.  Strange,  the  Isle  of  Britain  and  North  America 
should  stand  in  their  own  light  and  attempt  to  carry  their 


inconsistent  pronunciation  into  those  classic  idioms,  which 
ought  to  be  a  sacred  universal  linguistic  medium  for  the 
educated  of  all  climes,  whether  from  Oxford,  Heidelberg, 
Mecca,  Fez,  Yale,  or  Rio  Janeiro.  This  so-called  English 
pronunciation  of  Greek  and  Latin  has  not  as  yet  obtained 
even  in  Ireland,  where  a  classic  student  from  any  part  of  the 
world,  except  Oxford  and  Yale,  can  attend  divine  service  and 
understand  every  word  uttered  by  the  officiating  priest ;  so 
can  any  classic  scholar  attend  and  understand  mass  in  the 
Convent  of  Mount  St.  Bernard  or  of  Mount  Carmel.  Is  it  not 
high  time  the  English  and  Americans  should  awake,  not  only 
from  their  night-mare  pronunciation  of  Greek  and  Latin,  but 
from  the  nightmare  phonography  of  their  own  superior 
language,  whose  universal  adoption  is  thereby  retarded? 
We  are  told,  the  German  phonograi^hic  rule  would  be  im- 
possible in  English.  If  it  has  been  possible  for  centuries  in 
German,  Greek  and  Latin,  why  should  it  be  impossible  in 
English  or  any  other  language  ?  To  pronounce  the  same  letter 
or  letters  differently  in  certain  words  or  in  one  and  the  same 
word,  seems  not  only  strange  but  capricious  to  unbiassed 
observers.  Such  is  the  case  with  ou  in  fionr^  four^  hour, 
pour,  c&c.  with  ough  in  hough,  cough,  dough,  &c.  with  ov^  in 
ho^v,  n.  and  v.,  7^ow,  n.  and  v.,  sow,  n.  and  v.,  &c.  We  might 
multiply  such  anomalies,  but  let  these  suffice  here  and  noAV, 
we  shall  jjive  more  details  and  suirffest  a  remedv  in  our 
chapter  on  orthoepy  and  phonography.  English-speaking 
people  do  not  seem  to  notice  these  irregularities.  To  tax  the 
memories  of  their  own  children  M'ith  linguistic  conundrmns, 
is  not  only  wrong,  bat  cruel.  Of  all  sciences,  language  should 
be  made  as  simple  and  easy  as  possible  ;  for  man's  labors  are 
so  numerous  and  varied,  that  it  is  useless  to  waste  his  time  in 
minutiae  of  spelling-books  and  '•'■  Pronowieirig-Dletionaries,  " 
where  at  the  top  of  each  page,  are  guide-M'ords  with  numbered 
vowels,  and  where  each  word  in  the  text  is  printed  doubly 
and  differently  to  indicate  its  pronunciation.  Foreigners, 
who  have  studied  and  realized  the  advantages  of  the  ICnglish 
idiom,  as  to  grammar  and  construction,  regret  that  the  English 
and  Americans,  so  eminently  practical  in  other  matters,  con- 
tinue to  tolerate  such  glaring  inconsistency  in  their  language, 
a  faculty,    science  and   art,    which  they  must  use  daily  and 


8 

hourly  from  the  moment  they  rise  till  they  retire.  Yet,  by  a 
concerted  eftort  to  write  <and  print  as  they  pronounce,  and 
pronounce  as  they  write  and  print,  this  arbitrariness  might  be 
removed  from  their  language,  if  not  in  a  year,  at  most  in  half 
a  century.  To  say  nothing  of  the  many  useless  letters, 
dropi>ed  by  such  a  course,  the  time  saved  in  type-setting,  the 
ink  and  pajier  economized,  just  consider,  how  simple,  easy 
and  consistent  the  English  language  would  be !  Why,  a 
bright  child  of  seven  could  master  it  in  one  year ;  an  intelli- 
gent adult  in  two  years  ;  a  scholar  in  six  months.  Surely,  if 
this  improvement  is  not  made  now,  when  there  are  but  one 
hundred  millions  of  English-speaking  people,  can  it  be  made 
with  more  hope  of  success,  Avhen  there  will  be  five  hundred 
millions?  In  his  "Intellectual  Life"  Hamerton  observes: 
"A  language  cannot  be  thoroughly  learned  by  an  adult  with- 
out five  years'  residence  in  the  country  wdiere  it  is  spoken ; 
and  without  habits  of  close  observation,  a  residence  of  twenty 
years  is  insufficient.  "  Alas,  this  is  too  true,  not  only  with 
regard  to  English,  but  wdth  regard  to  other  languages,  past 
and  present !  will  it  be  so  Mnth  language  to  come  ?  Let  the 
English-speaking  populations  once  realize,  how  easy  the 
acquisition  of  their  tongue  would  be  for  their  own  children 
and  foreigners,  if  the  same  letter  or  letters  were  strictly 
adapted  to  one  sound,  and  one  sound  to  the  same  letter  or 
letters  ;  then  no  intelligent  Englishman  or  Yankee  would  rest, 
until  anomalies  and  irregularities  would  be  removed  from 
their  language,  now  the  admiration  of  philologists,  as  may  be 
seen  by  our  quotations. 

It  is  said  100  students  are  employed  at  Jeddo  to  simplify 
the  Japanese  characters  so  as  to  adapt  them  to  the  sounds  of 
the  European  languages.  If  a  nation,  that  M'^as  but  yesterday 
considered  barbarous,  is  acting  thus,  why  should  not  England 
and  America  call  a  scientific  convention  to  harmonize  the 
letters  of  their  alphabet  with  the  sounds  of  their  language  ? 
"Why  should  not  all  the  modern  nations  have  a  philologic 
congress  to  extend  into  language  the  uniformity  we  have  in 
mathematics,  chemistry,  and  music?  The  Arabic  figures, 
algebraic  characters,  and  mathematical  signs  have  been  and 
are  used  and  understood  at  sight,  not  only  by  Arabs,  Turks, 
English,  French,  Germans,  Italians,   Spaniards,  and  Scandi- 


9 

navians,  but  by  Russians;  so  are  Lavoisier's  chemical  symbols 
and  equivalents.  Notes  and  musical  language  are  read  and 
played  at  sight  by  artists  of  all  nations,  not  only  from  one 
and  the  same  composer,  but  from  one  and  the  same  sheet. 
Why  not  have  such  uniformity  and  unanimity  as  to  sounds, 
signs,  and  characters  in  language,  in  which,  according  to 
Home  Tooke,  "  all  scietice  whatever  must  centime  f  " 

As  to  the  destiny  of  the  English  language,  the  myriads, 
who  speak  it  in  Europe,  America,  Asia,  Africa  and  Oceanica, 
are  fully  aware  of  its  capacity  to  become  the  universal  lin- 
guistic medium,  which  may  be  realized  by  looking  at  the 
map  of  North  America,  where  the  English  idiom  has,  within 
twenty-five  years,  spread  from  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  Pacific  and  Behring's  straits,  and  dis})laced  the 
Spanish,  Indian,  and  Russian  dialects.  Cuba,  St.  Domingo, 
Mexico,  Central  America,  the  Sandwich  and  Navigators' 
Islands  are  feeling  its  influence  and  desire  its  sway;  even 
exclusive  China  and  Japan  seem  to  lean  more  and  more 
towards  America  and  the  English  language  across  the  Pacific. 
Thus  the  tide  of  empire  is  not  only  westward,  but  eastward ;. 
it  meets  and  mingles  in  America. 

In  his  "Lectures  on  the  English  Language,"  p.  121,  G.  P 
Marsh  says :  "In  order  to  arrive  at  satisfactory  conclusions  on 
this  point  {origin  of  the  English  language)^  more  thorough 
and  extensive  research  is  necessary."  In  our  extracts  and 
tables  the  '•'■vnore  thorough  and  extensive  research,''''  urged 
by  Mr.  Marsh,  will  be  found.  There  we  even  supply  the 
want,  felt  by  the  erudite  lecturer,  wdien  he  says,  p.  122:  "I 
have  made  no  attempt  to  assign  words,  not  of  Anglo-Saxon 
origin,  to  their  respective  sources."  We  made  tlie  attempt 
and  found,  that  the  respective  sources  of  the  English  voca- 
bulary are :  Anglo-Saxon,  Gothic,  Danish,  Sioedlsh,  German, 
Dutch,  and  Icelandic  /  Welsh,  Scotch,  Irish,  and  Armoric  ; 
Greek,  Latin,  French,  Italian,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese ; 
Hebrew  and  Arahic ;  and  Russian.  Hence  a  careful 
perusal  of  tliis  analysis  will  enable  any  reader  to  learn,  that 
the  English  of  to-day  is  a  compound  of  twenty  idioms, 
ancient  and  modern,  dead  and  living.  No  wonder  Wilber- 
force  says:  "English  is  a  composite  language."  To  realize 
that  England's  dialect  has  added  froui  6  to  62  per-cent  of 


10 

Gripco-Latin  since  Alfred  the  Great,  must  prove  interesting 
to  the  Englisli-sj)ealving  millions  over  all  the  globe. 

Our  extracts  and  tables  show  these  curious  facts:  1st, 
teachers,  professors,  and  grammarians  abound  in  repetitions^ 
next  come  journalists,  preachers,  ])olitical  speakers,  lecturers, 
scientists  and  historians ;  last,  but  not  least,  poets,  whom 
measure  and  rhyme  compel  to  be  Laconic.  2d.  More  than 
half  the  -words,  even  in  the  works  of  the  best  English  authors, 
AYQ  particles.  *  If  such  is  the  case  in  print,  what  shall  be 
said  of  daily  intercourse  and  conversation  ?  It  is  to  be  hoped 
telegTaphing,  phonography  and  philology  will  do  away  with 
linguistic  prolixity,  in  order  to  save  time,  ink  and  paper,  to 
say  nothing  of  vocal  organs.  Spartan  Laconism  in  speech 
and  print  and  Pythagorian  schools  would  not  come  amiss  in 
this  age  of  small  print  and  smaller  talk.  Less  tongue,  more 
brain  ;  fewer  words,  more  thought ;  less  grammar,  less  syntax, 
more  practice ;  less  preaching,  more  example,  would  soon  lead 
towards  a  higher  intellectual,  moral  and  social  standard.  All 
tends  to  shorten  space  by  air-line  Rail  Roads,  time  by  tele- 
graphs, labor  by  machinery.  This  is  well ;  but  why  not  carry 
this  tendency  into  language  ?  Certain  styles  of  writing  demand 
more  or  less  Anglo-Saxon,  while  others  recpiire  more  or  less 
Grseco-Latin :  for  domestic  subjects  Anglo-Saxon  almost 
suffices ;  whereas  topics  of  science,  art  and  progress  require 
Grseco-Latin.  Thus  one  and  the  same  author,  writing  a  poem 
on  domestic  affairs  unconsciously  uses  80  per-cent  Anglo- 
Saxon  and  20  per-cent  Gra^co-Latin,  yet  in  the  preface  he  uses 
but  60  per-cent  Anglo-Saxon  and  40  per- cent  Grseco-Latin. 
The  only  reason  we  can  assign  for  this  is,  that  the  one  is 
primitive,  the  other  j^rogressive. 

Of  all  sciences  the  sublimest  —  language  —  is  the  most  com- 
plicated and  inconsistent,  not  for  want  of  votaries,  but  for 
want  of  strictly  scientific  analysis  and  synthesis.  In  our 
tal)les,  let  the  reader  compare  the  Avords  of  the  Graeco-Latin 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon  columns  and  realize,  that  nearly  all  the 
Graeco-Latin,  are   words  of  progress,  civilization  and  refine- 

*  Articles,  prepositions,  conjunctions,  interjections,  and  most  adverbs 
of  place  and  time,  we  call  particles,  or  words  without  inherent  meaning ; 
while  we  style  nouns,  verbs,  adjectives,  and  adverbs,  formed  fi'om  adjec- 
tives, words  xeith  inherent  meaning. 


11 

ment,  M'liereas  almost  oue-lialf  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  are 
insignificant  particles  and  words  of  primary  necessity.  Accord- 
ing to  Tjrwhit's  "Essay  on  the  Language  and  Yersification 
of  Chaucer,  "  ix  7,  the  Frencli  element,  in  the  Anglo-Saxon 
dialect,  began  with  the  accession  of  Edward  the  Confessor, 
(1043) ;  and  not,  as  usually  asserted,  with  the  so-called  jSTorman 
Conquest,  which  but  hastened  the  fusion  of  the  two  idioms. 
In  this  analysis  we  fully  realize  what  Mr.  Marsh  says  p.  122: 
"IVords  of  original  Latin  etymology  have  been,  in  the  great 
majority  of  instances,  borrowed  from  the  French  and  are  still 
used  in  forms  more  in  accordance  with  the  French  than  with 
the  Latin  orthography."  'No  wonder,  the  English  under 
Edward  the  Confessor  ceased  to  cultivate  Anglo-Saxon  and 
introduced  French.  Swinton's  adage:  "When  a  tong  uo 
becomes  petrified  the  national  mind  walks  out  of  it,"  was  fully 
realized  under  Ilardicanute.  The  Anglo-Saxon  dialect  was 
too  poor  and  contracted  for  an  Anglo-French  population,  who 
mixed  the  two  idioms  in  such  proportions  as  suited  their 
progress  in  morals,  literature,  science,  art,  connnerce  and 
civilization.  As  they  progressed  from  Egbert  to  Victoria, 
their  language  advanced  towards  its  present  standard  of 
excellence. 

The  English  character  is  a  happy  mixture  of  Celtic  wit, 
Franco-Norman  daring,  and  Germanic  gravity,  tinged  with  a 
peculiar  love  of  enterprize  and  distant  adventure.  Perhaps 
the  varied  tribal  and  national  elements,  that  engendered  the 
English,  together  with  their  hazy  island-home,  tended  to  pro- 
duce a  race  distinguished  for  sagacious  ecclecticism,  not  oidy 
in  science,  art,  mechanics  and  manufactures,  but  in  language. 

In  this  numeric  analysis  of  the  English  language,  wc  realize 
the  workings  of  the  English  and  American  mind;  its  power 
to  expand,  accrete  and  excrete ;  its  faculty  to  select  and 
assimilate ;  its  versatility  and  progress  in  literature,  science, 
art,  mechanics  and  manufactures.  Tlie  English  idiom  is  the 
cream  and  essence  of  the  Aryo-Europcan  dialects :  it  contains 
the  choicest  Grseco-Latin,  Gotho-(Termanic  and  Celtic  ele- 
ments :  A  happy  medium  between  Fi-ench  and  German  ;  more 
grave  than  the  former ;  less  guttural,  harsh,  inverted  and 
cumbersome  than  the  latter ;  grammatically  simpler  than 
either  ;  but  very  capricious  in  its  orthoepy  and  i)honography, 


12 

which  iino;ht  be  easily  modified,  Yowcls  and  consonants  are 
so  felicitously  combined  in  the  English  language,  that  the 
dwellers  of  the  frigid  and  torrid  zones  can  articulate  and 
speak  it  with  com])arative  ease.  No  wonder,  Dr.  Rapp  says : 
"  The  nations  of  Europe  may  esteem  themselves  fortunate, 
that  the  English  have  not  made  the  discovery  of  the  suitable- 
ness of  their  language  for  universal  adoption."  Our  numeric 
investigation  also  shows,  that  the  English  language  improved 
in  Laconism  and  directness,  as  it  progressed  from  Ethelbert^ 
597,  to  Victoria,  1878 :  Less  words  and  fewer  particles  are 
almost  the  rule. 

"  The  whole  Earth  was  of  one  langiiage  and  of  one 
speech.^''  Such  is  the  declaration  of  Moses,  Gen.  xi,  1. 
Hence  we  realize  his  appreciation  of  language  thirty-five 
centuries  ago.  Much  has  been  said  and  written  as  to  the 
origin,  character  and  name  of  that  one  language  and  one 
speech,  so  emphatically  mentioned  in  the  oldest  known  Record. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  the  one  language  hereafter ; 
for  already  the  sun  never  sets  on  the  English-speaking  popu- 
lations; already  the  Oceans,  seas,  and  isles  resound  with  Eng- 
lish. Hence  travel,  Englishmen;  travel,  Americans;  already 
not  only  the  Esquimaux  and  Ethiopian,  but  the  American 
Indian,  Australian,  and  Hindoo  speak  English  ;  already  hotel- 
waiters  in  Europe  have  to  pass  a  competitive  examination  in 
the  English  language  ;  spend  your  gold  !  By  so  doing,  you 
diflfuse  and  expand  your  language,  and  with  it  your  influence 
and  civilization.  Should  the  author  of  this  work  contribute 
one  iota  towards  a  universal  language,  he  would  consider  his 
Earth-life  as  a  link  in  the  endless  chain  of  progression.  As 
he  claims  Saxon  origin  and  traces  his  ancestry  to  the  Father- 
land, this  book  can  hardly  be  considered  partial.  Impartiality 
is  his  aim,  truth  his  object.  No  doubt,  the  English  language 
with  the  Decimal  System  of  measures,  weights,  and  moneys, 
as  a  means  of  intercourse,  would  simplify  commerce,  facilitate 
travel,  and  favor  universal  education.  They  M^ould  be  the 
crowning  glory  to  printing,  steam,  and  telegraph.  National 
boundaries,  jealousies,  custom-houses  and  all  manner  of  pre- 
judice would  vanish  like  mist  before  a  genial  sun.  The 
English  Sovereign  and  President  of  the  United  States,  who 
initiate  this  movement,  will  figure  in  History  as  the  greatest 
benefactors  of  mankind.   We  hope  the  international  Congress, 


13 

about  to  meet  in  Paris,  July  22,  1873,  after  discussing  the 
Japanese  and  other  Asiatic  idioms,  will  find  time  to  direct 
attention  towards  the  language,  that  is  simplest  in  its  alphabet, 
grammar,  and  construction,  and  choicest  in  its  vocabulary ; 
then  call  for  an  international  congress  of  linguists  to  consider  its 
universal  adoption.  If  that  congress  is  impartial,  they  will 
find  English  most  suitable. 

Before  we  close  this  Introductory  survey  of  the  English- 
speaking  millions,  and  begin  our  curious  analysis  of  their 
language  and  literature,  let  us  cite  a  passage  from  that  most 
erudite  living  philologist.  Max  Miiller,  who  preferred  his 
professorship  at  Oxford  to  that  recently  offered  him  bj  the 
Kaiser:  " Why  certain  words  die,  and  others  live  on,  why 
certain  meanings  of  words  become  prominent,  so  as  to  cause 
the  absorption  of  all  the  other  meanings,  we  have  no  chance 
to  explain.  We  must  take  the  work  of  language  as  we  find 
it,  and  in  disentangling  the  curious  skein,  we  must  not  expect 
to  find  one  continuous  thread,  but  rest  satisfied,  if  we  can 
separate  the  broken  ends,  and  place  them  side  by  side  in 
something  like  an  intelligible  order."  We  shall  now  endeavor 
to  disentangle  the  curious  skein  of  the  English  language,  and 
unroll  it  in  one  continuous  thread,  without  separating  or 
replacing  any  broken  ends. 


CHAPTER   II. 

"Qvofxa  dpa  didaoicaXiKOV  ri  eoriv  opyavov  Kai  dianptriKOV  rfj^ 
vaiag,  u)onep  Kepnlg  vtpaaTog." — Plato''s  Cratylus. 

Noah  AVebster,  in  his  "Dictionary  of  the  English  Lan- 
guage" of  1861,  Author's  Preface,  p.  XI Y.,  says:  "What 
individual  is  competent  to  trace  to  their  source,  and  define  in 
all  their  various  applications,  popular,  scientific,  and  technical, 
seventy  or  eujhty  thousand  w^ords ! ' ' 

We  averaged  the  words  therein  and  found  about : 

55,524     Graeco-Latin  words 

22,220     Gotho-Germanic  (mostly  Anglo-Saxon)       " 

448     Celtic  " 

98     Sclavonic  " 

1,724     Semitic  (Hebrew  and  Arab.)  " 

80,011 


14 

We  also  averap^ed  Walker's  "Critical  Pronouncing  Dictio- 
nary and  Expositor  of  the  English  Language,"  Edinburgh 
edition  of  ISoI,  and  realized  about: 

56,108  Grffico  Latin  words. 

21,777  Gotho-Germanic  (mostly  Anglo-Saxon)       " 

461  Celtic  " 

768  Semitic  " 


79,114 

These  figures  from  Webster's' and  Walker's  Dictionaries 
show  nearhj  three-quarters  of  Grwco-Latin,  and  about  one- 
quarter  of  Anglo-Saxon. 

Thomas  Shaw,  in  his  "Outlines  of  English  Literature," 
p.  44,  says:  "The  English  now  consists  of  about  38,000 
words."  Some  anonymous  writer,  who  had  the  patience  to 
count  the  words  in  each  part  of  speech,  observes:  "There 
are  in  the  English  language  20,500  nouns;  40  pronouns; 
9, 200  adjectives ;  8,000  verbs;  2, 600  adverbs ;  69  j)repositions ; 
19  conjunctions ;  68  interjections ;  and  2  articles ;  in  all  about 
40,498  words."  No  doubt,  the  figures  of  Shaw  and  of  the 
anonymous  writer,  refer  to  school-dictionaries,  in  which  many 
scientific  and  technical  words  are  omitted.  Since  people  speak 
of  language,  as  though  it  were  within  the  covers  of  some  Dic- 
tionary or  Encyclopedia,  let  us  survey  its  domain  as  to  time, 
space,  and  importance  :  according  to  the  Sacred  Record  lan- 
guage antidates  everything,  even  light ;  for  God  said :  Let 
there  be  light,  called  the  light  Day,  the  darkness  Night,  the 
firmament  Heaven,   the   gathering   together    of  the    waters 

Seas,  &c (Gen.  I,  3 — 11.)     Thus  Elohim  uttered  and 

formed  language,  before  He  made  man,  animals,  or  plants. 
Language  embraces  Zoology  and  the  names  of  its  245,000 
living  species  of  animals ;  Botany  and  the  names  of  its  100,000 
living  species  of  plants;  Geology  with  its  95,000  fossil  spe- 
cies of  animals  and  2500  fossil  species  of  plants  ;  Mineralogy 
Avitli  its  myriads  of  crystals,  metals  and  minerals.  Language 
includes,  not  only,  the  ordinary  dictionary  of  40,000  popular 
words,  but  the  Classical  Lexicon,  the  Dictionaries  of  Medi- 
cine, Jurisprudence,  Chemistry,  Arts  and  Manufactures,  Bio- 
graphy, and  the  universal  Gazetteer.  The  4000  Christian 
names,  the  Bible  names  and  the  innumerable  family  names, 


I 


15  . 

also  belong  to  language.  Have  we  not  compassed  language  ? 
'Not  yet :  Look  at  yonder  cathedral  and  churches  with  their 
lofty  spires ;  at  those  grand  edifices,  reared  for  parliaments, 
congresses,  legislatures,  courts,  institutes,  universities,  facul- 
ties, colleges,  theatres ;  watch  that  post-office  and  the  mails 
streaming  to  and  from  it ;  glance  at  those  newspaper  palaces, 
issuing  bulletins  and  extras  ;  behold  those  wires,  freighted  with 
the  tersest  and  choicest  treasures  of  language,  rapping  out 
telegrams  in  yonder  office ;  see  those  structures,  erected  for 
casting  type,  printing,  binding,  publishing,  and  selling  books. 
Forget  not  the  84  Bible  societies  and  agencies,  that  issued  and 
distributed  110,000,000  Bibles  and  Testaments  since  1804— 
one  and  all  were  founded  to  diffuse  and  convey  thought  by 
and  through  language,  either  spoken,  written,  printed,  or 
mapped.  Should  the  God,  "udio  originated  language  on  Earth, 
strike  mankind  dumb  to-day,  to-morrow  these  architectural 
splendors  would  begin  to  fade,  for  language  raised  them ; 
language  underlies  them  all.  !Now  we  can  exclaim  with 
Home  Tooke:  "Language  is  an  art  and  a  glorious  one, 
whose  influence  extends  over  all  others,  and  in  which  all 
science  whatever  must  centre."  Hence  should  not  this  most 
powerful  of  engines — language — be  made  as  simple,  easy, 
fluent,  and  perfect  as  possible  ?  Lift  your  eyes  to  that  azured 
dome !  When  you  have  learned,  that  language  gave  names 
and  lent  speech  to  those  comets,  moons,  planets,  suns,  stars, 
constellations,  and  galaxies,  you  will  be  able  to  realize  Jean 
Paul  Bichter's  strikinu-  simile  on  lana-uao-e : 

„^ic^  biinft,  bcr  'SJ^enfd)  raiirbe  fid^,  (jo  role  ba§  fprad)toje 
X^icr,  ba^  in  ber  auf^even  ^l^elt,  tuie  in  einem  bunfetn,  l)etauben= 
ben  2Bc((cn  =  ^eere  fd)iuimmt),  e'6enfaU5  in  bcm  DoUc^cftirnten 
j>immcl  bcv  dui^eren  ^^(nfd)aiiunc\  bumpf  t}erlicrcn,  lucnn  cv  bag 
DertDorrene  £'cud)ten  nidjt  burdj  <2prad)e  in  ©tcrnbilbcr  abtljeilte, 
iinb  fi^  burd)  bicfe  bag  (iianje  in  3:l)cile  fur  bag  33en)ufetfcln  a\\\- 
(ojete.'' 

From  this  survey  of  language's  vast  domain  we  conclude, 
that  the  English  Vocahvlanj  should  number,  at  least,  07ie 
inillion  of  words  to  satisfy  present  scieiice,  art,  and  litera- 
ture. No  wonder  then,  the  German  Universal  Dictionary, 
now  issuing  by  the  Brothers  Grinmi,  is  to  contain  500,000 
words  1 


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Extract  iVoir.  Ghaucer'2*  "Canterbury  Tales/'f  A.  D.  1400. 

Applctoirs  Edition  1857,  p.  578. 

"Now  have  I  told  you  of  revny  confe.'i.non,  that  is  the  seconde  part  of 
"penitence.  The  thridde  part  is  tiatitifaction,  and  that  stont  most  ^e«eraWy 
"  in  almesse  (U'de  and  in  bodily  peine.  Now  ben  tlier  three  vianer  of  al- 
"  messe  :  coniritio/i  of  herU\  vfhcv  a  raiin  off  ret  h  himself  to  God:  another 
"is,  to  have  jntee  of  the  defaufe  of  his  neighbour  :  and  the  thridde  is,  in 
"yeving  of  good  conseil,X  gostly  and  bodily,  wher  as  men  have  nede,  and 
"namely  in  xustenance  of  mannes  food.  And  take  kepe  that  a  man  hath 
"nede  of  thise  thinges  generally,  he  hath  nede  of  food,  of  clothing,  and  of 
"  herberow,  he  hath  nede  of  charitable  conseilling  and  visiting  in  prison  and 
"  in  maladi",  and  sepulture  of  his  ded  body.  And  if  thou  maiest  not  visite 
"the  nedefiil  in  p7-tso/t  in  thy  person,  visite  hem  with  thy  message,  and 
"  thy  ycftes.  Thise  ben  generally  the  almesses  and  werkes  of  cJiaritee,  of 
"  hem  that  have  temporel  richesses,  or  discretion  in  conseilling.  Of  thise 
"werkesg  slialt  thou  heren  at  the  day  of  dome." 

"This  almesse  shuldest  thou  do  of  thy  propre  thinges,  and  hastily,  and 
''  pricbly  if  thou  maiest :  but  natheles,  if  thou  mayest  not  do  it  privcly,  thou 
"  shalt  not  forbere  to  do  almesse,  though  men  see  it,  so  that  it  be  not  don 
"  for  thanke  of  the  world,  but  only  to  have  thanke  of  Jesu  Crist.  For  as 
"  witnesseth  Seint  Mathewe,  Cap.  &c," 

229  common  words,  among  which 


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*  "To  penetrate  the  mists,  which  balefully  lowered  over  the  English  tongue,  the  brijihtness 
of  a  Chaucer,  the  aciuracy  of  a  Gower  were  needed,  and  those  conotellations  were  not  jet 
visible."     Pettit  Andrews'  '"IJistory  of  Great  Britain" 

t  Marsh  (Le''tures  on  the  English  language,))  124)  says:  "Chaucer  uses  SO  per-cent  An- 
glo-.Sa.\on.  Our  analysis  shows  but  63  per-cent ,  30  of  which  are  m  re  particles.  Hence  there 
are  nearly  as  many  French  as  Anglo-Saxon  words  of  inherent  meaning  in  Chaucer's  style. 

t  I8of  the31  French  words  printed  in  Italics,  in  the  Table,  are  now  spelt  in  French,  as 
when   Chaucer  introduced  ttiem  into  English  from  1360  to  1400, 

i)  Werkes  is  the  present  German  for  ivork. 


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Extract  from  Queen  Victoria's  Speech  in  ^Parliaments 
February  Oth^  1866. 

iMv     LoKDS    AND    GeNTLEMKN, 

"It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  1  have  recourse  to  your  asssis- 
"  tance  and  advice. 

"I  have  recently  declared  my  consent  to  a  marriage  between 
"my  daugliter,  Princess  Helena  and  Prince  Christian  of  Schleswig 
"  Holstein  Sonderhourg-Augustenburg.  I  trust  this  union  may  be 
"  ])rosperous  and  happy. 

"The  death  of  my  beloved  uncle,  the  King  of  the  Belgians,  has 
"  affected  me  with  j)rofound  grief  I  feel  great  confidence,  however, 
"that  the  wisdom,  Avhich  he  evinced  during  his  reign,  will  animate 
"his  successor,  and  preserve  for  Belgium  her  independence  and 
"  ])rosperity. 

"j\Iv  relations  with  tt)reign  powers  are  friendly  and  satisfactory, 
"  and  I  see  no  cause  to  fear  any  disturbance  of  the  general  peace. 

"The  meeting  of  the  fleets  of  France  and  England  in  the  ports 
"  of  the  respective  countries  has  tended  to  cement  the  amity  of  the 
"  two  nations,  and  to  jirove  to  the  world  their  friendly  concert  in 
"  the  jtromotion  of  peace. 

"I  have  observed  with  satisfaction  that  the  United  States,  after 
"  terminating  successfully  the  severe  struggle  in  which  they  were 
"  so  long  engaged,  are  wisely  repairing  the  ravages  of  civil  war. 
"The  abolition  of  slavery  is  an  event  calling,  &c. 

l78  common  Avords,  among  which 


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canvassed  by  every  Englishman,  that  can  read,  it  ix  a  Jit  linguistic  representative  of  its  day. 


21 


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Extract  from  'President  Grant's   Inaugural   Address, 
March  4th,  i86g. 

atf'sens  of  the  TInitetl  States:  Your  suffrages  having  elect- 
ed nie  to  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States,  I  have, 
in  conformity  Mith  the  Constitution  of  our  country,  taken  the 
oath  of  office  prescribed  therein.  I  have  taken  this  oath 
Avithout  mental  reservation,  and  with  the  determination  to 
do,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  all  that  it  requires  of  me. 

The  resi^onsibilities  of  the  position  I  feel,  but  accept  them 
without  fear.  The  office  has  come  to  me  unsought:  I  com- 
mence its  duties  untrammelled.  I  bring  to  it  a  conscientious 
desire  and  determination  to  fill  it  to  the  best  of  my  ability  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  people.  On  all  leading  questions  agitat- 
ing the  public  mind  I  will  always  express  my  views  to  Con- 
gress, and  urge  them  according  to  my  judgment,  and  when  I 
think  it  advisable,  will  exercise  the  constitutional  privilege  of 
interposing  a  veto  to  defeat  measures  which  1  oppose.  But 
all  laws  will  be  faithfully  executed,  whether  they  meet  my  ap- 
proval or  not. 

I  shall  on  all  subjects  have  a  policy  to  recommend,  none  to 
enforce,  against  the  will  of  the  people.     Laws  are  to  govern 


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j^aro  langmge,  that  they  may  all  call  u^on  he  name 
of  the  Lord,  to  serve  lliui  with  one  consent.  i  nie, 
the  Prophet  spoke  of  llelrew-yet  let  every  mtel- 
llqent  Enalishnian  and  American  say  here  ana 
nL:  We  will  give  to  the  World  a  language,  written 
as  it  pronounced  and  free  from  graniniattc  trregu- 
larities. 


w 


\u^-^^ 


\LV^ 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAGILIT 


AA    000  353  810    5 


